Reproducing the clothing and refreshments, reconstructing specific dances, and applying nineteenth century etiquette rules to twenty-first century situations. It's all part of bringing history from the printed page into three dimensions.

About Me

I am a dance historian, costume historian, and culinary historian who is always looking for ways to bring historical knowledge to life. I have been director of The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers since 2007. I teach nineteenth and early twentieth century dance, lecture on dance history, movement, historical clothing, etc., and perform with the dance company.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

The Head of the Hall

The first thing to ascertain before attempting a Quadrille, is "the head of the room." Many persons suppose that the head of the room is where the music is located. This is an error. The head of the room is generally at that part of the room opposite, or farthest from the entrance door. But where the entrance door is upon the middle of a side of the room, then custom determines, which end, to the right or left of the entrance door, is the head of the room; for the head of a room is never upon the side,--and the orchestra is frequently upon the side of large ball rooms--indeed, some orchestras are built directly over the entrance doors; and the head of the room in such cases, (when the orchestra is not upon the side,) is generally understood as being directly opposite the end on which the orchestra is built.
-- William B. De Garmo, The prompter, New York, Raymond & Caulon, 1865.
When you attend a ball for the first time, the head of the hall is fairly easy to recognize by the behavior of dancers. Contradance sets form from the top, with the first couples standing near the head of the hall and new couples joining on the bottom of the set. Quadrilles sets form, and the caller usually reminds everyone of which couples are which. Couple dances, such as the waltz and polka do not depend on knowing the head of the hall, since they follow the line of direction, anti-clockwise around the room.